CARFCO

By Mary Freeman

If you are shopping for a new car, or even a used one, chances are the gas mileage it gets is one of the first things you want to find out. Now, gas mileage that a vehicle can offer has become the main concern throughout the whole country with prices now reaching the $4 a gallon mark and climbing.

People are now in search of vehicles which can offer them good gas mileage (which means the distance the vehicle can cover with a gallon of gasoline). Reputed manufactures like Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Volkswagen, Chevrolet and others are trying to launch cars with better gas mileage and technology that is environment friendly. In the meantime, you are stuck with trying to squeeze the best mileage out of the vehicle you currently have.

Below are some tips and suggestions on ways to increase gas mileage in your vehicle:

Determine Your Gas Mileage

You will first want to calculate your vehicles gas mileage to set a baseline in which to work from to improve your overall mileage. Fill your tank, record the odometer reading, drive around until empty, then record the odometer ready when empty.

Take your car to the gas station again and now record the gallons it takes to fill up(lets say 14 gallons). You can now subtract the first odometer reading from the second and divide the result by 14. This is your current MPG.

Reduce Your Vehicle’s Excess Weight

The heavier your car is the more the engine has to work to pull the excess load. Getting rid of all unnecessary weight in your vehicle when on trips will assist to increase your mileage in the long run.

Avoid Idling the Vehicle

Idling is sometimes necessary, like at stop lights, signs, etc, but you will want to avoid all other unnecessary idling wherever possible, like in drive through lines, waiting for friends, etc. If you expect that you will not be moving for an extended period of time , turn off the ignition.

Avoid Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving can have big effects on your cars gas mileage. Certain actions such as quick accelerations and hard breaking, and even jerky steering can have an effect on your car’s fuel efficiency, so don’t do it! Stay calm when you are driving and try to give yourself enough time to break gradually. Drive defensively not aggressively and you should be ok.

Keep Your Car Maintained

Keeping your car services and in good working order(as per manufacturers specifications) is another way to increase gas mileage. In addition to regular tune-ups you should ensure your tire pressure on all tires are as per dealer specifications. Tires which are low on air make your car work harder to accelerate which taxes your engine and therefore decreases your gas mileage. Always check your Owner’s Manual if you are unsure of your vehicle’s tire pressure requirements.

Change the Oil Regularly

Changing your oil regularly can help to improve your gas mileage. Choose the recommended grade of oil when doing this. Note: Motor oil which is advertised as Energy Conserving may be the ideal choice as it can reduce friction and assist to improve your fuel efficiency.

Replace the Air Filter Regularly

A clogged air filter can be a serious contributor to poor fuel efficiency. Clogging greatly reduces the oxygen to the engine as its using fuel. The decrease in oxygen can interfere with the correct fuel mixture which helps to reduce gas mileage. A clean air filter can also help to improve the performance of your engine.

The Right Octane

You will always want to stick with the manufacturer’s suggested gas octane rating when at the pump. If regular gas is recommended, then you will only be wasting more precious money purchasing a higher octane. Stick with what is recommended and you will be ok.

Aerodynamics

Decrease the drag on your vehicle and consequently increase your gas mileage by removing outside accessories, like ski and luggage racks if they are not required.

Other ways to increase gas mileage include keeping your air conditioning off whenever possible. This taxes the engine when on and consequently uses more gas when it is on.

Keep your windows closed whenever possible. This decreases the drag coefficient of the vehicle which reduces natural resistance.

Utilizing the tips offered above to increase your mileage will go along way to keep your vehicle driving at optimal efficiency while using the least amount of fuel necessary.

Mary Freeman is an accomplished Author who writes articles on Natural and Home Remedies. To access her remedy website, please visit http://www.eRemedySpot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Freeman http://EzineArticles.com/?Ways-To-Increase-Gas-Mileage-In-Your-Vehicle&id=1198883

By Naum Levinson

Trading the car in: what makes financial sense?

A lot of people are trading their cars in every 4-5 years. A car payment, stretched over  5-7 years, is not uncommon.

Unfortunately the situation known to dealers as "upside down," is not uncommon either.  It means, that the person owes for his/her car -  more than the car is worth.

If the person keeps trading cars every 4-5 years, there’s  still 2-3 years of payments left, and the financial situation is just getting worse…

How to avoid the situation like that?

A lot of financial experts agree that maintaining your present vehicle makes much more financial sense.  Contemporary vehicles are more reliable and, with proper maintenance, can serve reliably for 8  years or longer.  After the car is paid off, you can save about $2500 per year, including repairs, maintenance, license, registration, taxes and insurance.

That’s what we call "Return on Investment"….

If proper maintenance was done over the years, a repair bill from time to time is a "drop in the bucket," compare to the regular monthly payments for the car. If a car was paid off during the period of 5 years and has survived another 4 years, it’s  the savings of $10,000. Nice downpayment for the new vehicle, right?

Let me give you an example.  When I’ve purchased my 1994 Toyota Camry, the car was two years old and had 27,000 miles. Five years later, it was paid off. For four years I am enjoying not having payments on my car. Except for the regular maintenance, I didn’t have any unexpected breakdowns and car is still very reliable, taking me and my family where we want to go.

As you can see, I am preaching from my own experience. It’s not difficult and it can be done!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr. Naum Levinson was born in Eastern Europe. He holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, specializing in automotive design. He has over 35 years of experience in vehicle research, development, maintenance, and repair.

On his website http://www.best-auto-repairs.com, he shares his life experience with readers, and stresses the point that the best repair is a preventive maintenance system.

His other interests are computers, travel, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He lives with his family in La Mesa, California.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Naum_Levinson http://EzineArticles.com/?Trading-the-Car-in&id=130889

By Richard M Jenkins

Airbags are a common feature in a majority of cars on the road today.Over the years they have proved successful at preventing injuries to drivers and car passengers who have been involved in a road traffic accident. Airbags are a robust and effective piece of safety equipment that will happy stay inactive for years waiting silently for the one moment that they will be required to work.

Popular belief seems to think that when an airbag is called upon to inflate compressed air is blasted into the bag. This however is wrong. Given the speeds required what actually inflates the airbag is a chemical reaction. A chemical called sodium azide is heated and this interaction produces nitrogen which rapidly inflates the airbag. To initiate this reaction sensors in the front of the vehicle on sensing a collision send an electric charge to the sodium azide which heats the chemical forcing it to breakdown and produce the nitrogen gas. All this happens in an average of 30 milliseconds.

It is very rare for an airbag to deploy accidentally so when an airbag does deploy the likely cause is a crash or collision. For anyone finding themselves in such a situation there are important points to be aware of.

The chemical reaction used to inflate airbags also produces chemicals that could be harmful to humans. To counteract this other chemical are used to neutralize the harmful chemicals. Add all this to the chemical explosion used to inflate the airbag and quite a lot of smoke is produced. This smoke is harmless, however can prove a shock to anyone witnessing it. In fact it is not uncommon for people to see the smoke and panic, thinking that their vehicle post collision is about to burst into flames. Statistically this is unlikely however the panic forces them to quickly exit their vehicle an action which can often cause more harm than good. After a road accident the likelihood of personal injury is high. In such a situation often the best thing to do is to remain still and wait for professional medical personnel to give you the all clear.

So if ever an airbag goes off in a car you are traveling in the first thing to remember is do not panic and be absolutely sure that any injury you have will not be aggravated by exited the vehicle.

For more driving advice see the UK driving test and UK driving schools website. A site for learner drivers which includes free mock theory tests and a driving test DVD.

Article Source:  http://EzineArticles.com/?Know-What-Happens-When-An-Airbag-Deploys&id=1162340

This upcoming week, the National Alliance of Buy Here, Pay Here Dealers (NABD) will hold it’s 10th Annual National Conference on May 6 to May 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This show, located at the Las Vegas Hilton will be the site location for more than 200 dealers, experts and service providers dealing with this industry.

The theme for this year’s conference will be "Facing New Challenges."  There will be nationally recognized speakers speaking out on motivation, leadership and sales topics as well as legal and regulatory compliance issues addressed by an attorney who will answer questions during an interactive session.

The general education sessions will feature a single track and all vendor presentations have been moved to concurrent break-out sessions where attendees can choose their topics of interest including capital, Internet, insurance, and add-on products, sales and leadership training and more.

Anyone who is really serious about prospering in the BHPH industry during the next 12 months can’t afford to miss this event! Those interested in attending can register online at www.bhphinfo.com or by calling 713-290-8171. Seating and room availability is limited, so attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible.